Chapter 88 She doesn't need to know what I've sacrificed...
The two opened their hearts to each other and talked all night long, only falling asleep as dawn broke.
As a result, Fu Qingli almost missed the groundbreaking ceremony.
When he woke up, Lin Xi was still in the same position as when she fell asleep, lying on top of him.
Even if he moved very gently, he couldn't help but wake her up.
Lin Xi was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, and she managed to open them a crack, her voice soft and sweet from just waking up: "What time is it? Are you getting up?"
A tuft of hair sticks up unruly on its head, so cute it melts your heart.
Fu Qingli reached out and pressed down her ahoge (cowlick), then gently rubbed the top of her head: "Hmm, there's a project groundbreaking ceremony this morning, I have to go. It's still early, you can continue sleeping."
Hearing this, Lin Xi reluctantly leaned against him again, shaking her head sleepily as she rested her head against his chest: "No, I want to go with you!"
The hair brushed against the exposed skin like a feather, causing a subtle, undeniable itch.
She's started being clingy again.
This time, however, there was no unease, just a clingy reluctance to let go.
With their skin touching, every little movement could be clearly felt.
Fu Qingli tried hard to control his wild thoughts, stroking her smooth back and coaxing her softly, "You went to bed too late last night, so be a good girl and rest at home. I'll be back to keep you company soon, okay?"
"No!" Lin Xi refused no matter what. "I want to go with you."
Fu Qingli was quite pleased with her clinginess, and seeing her insistence, she didn't force her anymore: "Then I'll get up and help you get dressed."
Hearing this in a daze, Lin Xi took a moment to realize what position she was in while lying on him.
The two were completely naked.
She was instantly jolted awake, and embarrassed, she rolled to the side with the blanket around her.
Fu Qingli felt a chill run down her spine and realized she was completely exposed. She turned around, both amused and exasperated, and pulled the woman's head out of the pillow, saying, "Are you just going to leave me like this?"
Lin Xi glanced down at it, then immediately looked away.
She realized she had gone a bit too far, hesitated for a second, then carefully opened the blanket and handed over a corner of it: "Here, take this."
Fu Qingli laughed heartily.
He didn't go to pick her up, but leaned down and kissed the corner of her lips, gently coaxing, "Wait, I'll go get the clothes."
She got up and stood gracefully by the bed.
He seemed to suddenly remember Lin Xi's embarrassment earlier and reminded her, "Xiao Xi, I dressed you up many times when you were little."
Lin Xi: "..."
But they were all still young then!
Moreover, Fu Qingli has known the difference between men and women since she was a child, and she has always been very mindful of boundaries in her actions.
When it's inconvenient, I always go to Aunt Yao for help.
Now he's making it sound like he was a clueless kid.
However, she was just too tired.
In the few minutes that Fu Qingli left to get clothes from the dressing room, she dozed off again as soon as her head hit the pillow.
When Fu Qingli returned after getting dressed and saw her sleeping soundly, he almost burst out laughing with affection.
However, considering Lin Xi's condition, he was afraid she would wake up and look for him, so he didn't think about sneaking away quietly.
Instead, he walked over, picked her up like a child, leaned her against his shoulder, and gently dressed her.
His movements were gentle, and his soothing voice was exceptionally tender.
The familiar scent of cedarwood filled her nostrils, and a deep, resonant voice rang in her ears. Lin Xi slept soundly and obediently let him do whatever he wanted.
Finally, Lin Xi was carried downstairs by Fu Qingli while she was still asleep.
Xiao Tao was sitting in the car when she saw them and was stunned. Thinking something had happened, she quickly got out of the car to help.
Fu Qingli was afraid the light would dazzle Lin Xi's eyes, so he made sure she was facing sideways when he hugged her.
Xiao Tao didn't immediately understand her condition, so he lowered his voice and asked with concern, "Brother Fu, what's wrong with your wife?"
Fu Qingli's voice was even lower: "It's nothing, she's asleep."
Go get a blanket from behind the car.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Tao hurriedly went to get a blanket.
Fortunately, the groundbreaking ceremony was held at a ferry crossing that cars could drive through.
Lin Xi slept until the groundbreaking ceremony ended, without waking up.
Fu Qingli wasn't in a hurry to wake her up, and quietly instructed Xiao Tao to drive back to the hotel.
Halfway there, Fu Qingli received a call from Zhou Leyan.
Afraid of disturbing Lin Xi, he cut off the call and sent a message instead.
Ting: [What's up?]
Zhou Leyan: [I haven't been able to get in touch with Lin Xi. Did you see her?]
A few seconds passed.
Zhou Leyan: [Are you guys alright?]
Fu Qingli then realized that in his rush to leave in the morning, he had forgotten to get Lin Xi's phone.
Ting: [It's okay, she's still asleep.]
Zhou Leyan: [That's good.]
Zhou Leyan: [Also, thank you.]
Ting: [You're welcome. It was just a coincidence that time.]
Ting: [I knew nothing about what happened and couldn't help in any way, but I'm glad I was able to do something for Dad and Uncle Zhou.]
Zhou Leyan: [Then I must thank you. I'll remember your kindness.]
Zhou Leyan: [I hope you won't blame me for telling Lin Xi; she should know about all the sacrifices you've made.]
Ting: [She doesn't need to know what I've done for her; she just needs to enjoy my love.]
Ting: [Hopefully this won't happen again, or don't blame me for getting angry!]
After sending the message, Fu Qingli put her phone aside, closed her eyes to rest, and ignored Zhou Leyan's explanation.
Once they reached the hotel's underground parking garage, Lin Xi was lifted up again by Fu Qingli, and only then did she slowly regain consciousness.
Still dazed, she nestled in Fu Qingli's arms, rubbing her sleepy eyes: "Shall we leave now?"
Fu Qingli smiled faintly: "We're back."
"Huh?" Lin Xi was a little slow to react. Seeing him walk towards the elevator, she finally realized what he meant. "Then why didn't you call me?"
"I can't bear to part with her." Fu Qingli lifted her up a little, gently rubbing her cheek against her delicate face. "We're almost there. Want to go back to your room and sleep a little longer?"
After sleeping all morning, Lin Xi had recovered somewhat: "Why don't you go back to sleep? Are you going to the company this afternoon?"
"No need to go anymore, my work in Haicheng is finished."
The rest can be left to the staff. "If you're not going to sleep, shall we go out for a walk this afternoon?"
They had been in Haicheng, a famous tourist city, for more than two months, and he hadn't taken Lin Xi out for a proper trip alone. The two of them mostly went to shopping malls.
When the topic of going out for fun came up, Lin Xi suddenly became interested: "Really?"
Fu Qingli nodded: "Okay, I'll accompany you from now on. You can stay in Haicheng for as many days as you like."
"No need, I just want to go somewhere to buy something."
The place Lin Xi was referring to is a commercial street in a tourist attraction in Haicheng.
With the development of logistics, the things sold in the commercial streets of tourist attractions are mostly the same, except for a few shops with unique styles.
What Linxi was looking for was just such a handmade perfume shop.
The shop is called Snow Country Spring.
Seeing it from afar, Lin Xi enthusiastically introduced it to Fu Qingli: "Many people online recommend this store's perfumes, saying that their cedar scent is very unique. I've wanted to come and see it for a long time."
Cedarwood.
Fu Qingli already knew from Zhou Leyan what cedarwood fragrance meant to Lin Xi.
During those years apart, it was a source of comfort for her when she missed him.
He felt a pang of pain in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged. The smile on his lips did not fade, but it became even gentler: "You really like cedarwood?"
Lin Xi is now able to honestly admit what she has done: "Hmm, it smells a lot like you. Every time I smell cedarwood, I think of you."
"Back then, I was so stupid. I smelled a perfume in the mall that smelled a lot like you, and on impulse, I spent over a thousand yuan on a bottle, spending all the money I had. As a result, I ate instant noodles for a month."
After she finished speaking, she felt Fu Qingli grip her hand tighter than before, his veins bulging, as if he was trying to suppress some emotion.
She turned around instinctively and caught a glimpse of the heartache clearly visible in his eyes.
"Brother, I'm alright now."
Fu Qingli put his arm around her shoulder and stroked the back of her head with his other hand, letting her lean into his embrace: "I'll always be here for you from now on, so you don't have to rely on those illusory fantasies to think of me anymore."
"I know," Lin Xi said, gently patting his back to comfort him.
“I’m fine now. I just came here today to see the store I’ve been wanting to visit, to see if they have a perfume that smells more like you than that one.”
However, Fu Qingli's scent carries his unique hormones, and it's impossible to find an exact match. A five or six-point resemblance is already quite good.
Although Fu Qingli told Lin Xi that she didn't need to rely on those perfumes to think of him anymore, he didn't stop her from having a taste for them and bought all the ones she thought smelled good.
"This... is too much." Looking at the dozen or so bottles of perfume, Lin Xi felt it was a bit excessive.
Fu Qingli didn't think so: "Not many. If you like them, just buy them all and keep them as collectibles."
As he spoke, he went to pay the bill.
Lin Xi then went with him.
Considering that she would be returning to Nanqing soon, she simply picked out two more bottles of He Xiaduo's favorite sweet fragrance as a gift for her.
This tourist attraction is a seaside town that was developed early on. The local cultural features have long been overtaken by commercialism, so it's not that fun anymore.
Since they were already there, the two decided to follow the crowd and wander around.
Perhaps because the people around her were the ones she loved, even though the scenery was largely the same, Lin Xi felt that this was the happiest time she had experienced in recent years.
Her joy was conveyed to Fu Qingli.
The faint curve at the corners of her lips never faded, a clear sign of relaxation and ease.
As evening approached, Fu Qingli asked Lin Xi for her opinion: "Would you like to have dinner here, or go back to the hotel?"
“Let’s go back and eat. The snacks we had earlier weren’t very good. Aunt Tao is much better. Ah—” Lin Xi exclaimed softly, finally remembering something she had forgotten, “I forgot to tell Aunt Tao that I’m not going back to Nanqing.”
Fu Qingli tapped her forehead with her finger and smiled indulgently: "I've already spoken to Aunt Tao and told her to wait for us in Nanqing without worry."
"That's good, that's good." Lin Xi patted her chest, relieved. "Then let's go eat seafood. The place Zhou Qi took me to last time was pretty good."
Fu Qingli was pleased that she chose what she liked: "Okay."
"You said the work here is finished, so can we leave anytime? Will you come back later?"
"No need, just come again if you need anything. What's wrong?"
Lin Xi pointed to the road they had come from: "The market we just passed gave me some ideas for the intangible cultural heritage exhibition in Nanqing. I want to go to Nanqing to see the site and then write a proposal."
"If you have other things to do, it's okay if we go back a few days later."
Fu Qingli held her hand tightly, his smile tender and indulgent: "From now on, I'll revolve around you. Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you!"
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